q_id stringlengths 5 6 | title stringlengths 3 301 | selftext stringlengths 0 39.2k | document stringclasses 1
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values | url stringlengths 4 132 | answers dict | title_urls list | selftext_urls list | answers_urls list |
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8fx7fh | Why don't the Appalachian mountains cause a rain shadow? | askscience | https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/8fx7fh/why_dont_the_appalachian_mountains_cause_a_rain/ | {
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"They do somewhat. If you've been to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the mountains get far more rain than the lowlands.\n\nBut the Smokies are the tallest mountains in the range and the difference between Gatlinburg,... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | ||
37y7jk | When the Arab states controlled the West Bank and Gaza, why did they not grant Palestine a state? | I read an article where Netanyahu made this point and I was wondering if there was a legitimate reason for this? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/37y7jk/when_the_arab_states_controlled_the_west_bank_and/ | {
"a_id": [
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"text": [
"Mainly because they didn't want to.\n\nThe two Arab governments in charge of the West Bank and Gaza took two different approaches to how they administered the territory, but both had grander ambitions. So keeping the West Bank and Gaza part of ... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
204xds | mainframe computers | I just seen a book on about the zSeries mainframe. Since I thought mainframes are some kind of obsolete computing system, I was kind of surprised to see the publication date recent. Went to zSeries page and kind of got lost because I don't know much about them.
Here are some questions I have.
What are mainframes and... | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/204xds/eli5_mainframe_computers/ | {
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"Modern-day mainframes aren't quite the same thing as what we used to call mainframes. In the older days, Mainframes were like the computer towers of desktop computers today. They housed the CPU and ma... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[]
] | |
3hd7ci | why is fainting preceded by seeing black? | Why/How does the brain process the information from the eyes that should be giving signals about the actual colour of whatever is in ones field of vision in a way that it seems black shortly before fainting? Why does less oxygen in the brain equal smaller / unclear vision? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3hd7ci/eli5_why_is_fainting_preceded_by_seeing_black/ | {
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"The visual cortex progressively looses the ability to process stimulus. One is simply observing this gradual shutting down of that processor as the oxygen fuel is spent. The O2 not directly impacting the observation of visual stimuli, but it's ... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
ps4hu | How would one go about synthesizing elements from raw materials? | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/ps4hu/how_would_one_go_about_synthesizing_elements_from/ | {
"a_id": [
"c3rsg0y",
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"score": [
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7,
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"text": [
"Unfortunately, you can't isolate a proton or an electron and store it somewhere, so you can't make an element-maker. (A charged species cannot exist alone.) Through neutron bombardment and some types of... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[]
] | ||
17ld7d | how does your phone know when you tilt it? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/17ld7d/eli5_how_does_your_phone_know_when_you_tilt_it/ | {
"a_id": [
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"text": [
"Put a slinky in a long glass tube and fix one end of the slinky to one end of the tube. Now lay the tube on your desk. The slinky is all curled up . Next, stand the tube upright. One end of the slinky is fixed to the top of the tube and the botto... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
o7kg4 | Why don't electrons in atoms suffer from orbital decay due to forces from other surrounding particles? | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/o7kg4/why_dont_electrons_in_atoms_suffer_from_orbital/ | {
"a_id": [
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"text": [
"[Because there aren't any lower energy orbitals available.](_URL_0_)",
"Electrons in atoms are 'locked' in orbits. What this means is the following :\n\n* Lets say you want to look at what happens to a particle when you ... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauli_exclusion_principle"
],
[]
] | ||
247wu7 | why isn't mikhail gorbachev seen as a historic hero for his actions transforming the ussr into russia? | Between ending the Cold War, the impending nuclear doom of the world, and being the figure that ended decades of craziness, why isn't Gorbachev seen as a hero? Is he simply seen as right place, right time? I would think that the leader of North Korea that ends all the propaganda and opens the nation's borders would be ... | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/247wu7/eli5_why_isnt_mikhail_gorbachev_seen_as_a/ | {
"a_id": [
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"score": [
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"text": [
"Gorbachev didn't transform the USSR into Russia. His attempted reform of the USSR led to the dissolving of the USSR altogether, leaving a bunch of newly independent states (of which Russian Federation was one). Just an important terminology issue... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
co1y9t | why do people cover their laptop's camera but not their smartphone's? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/co1y9t/eli5_why_do_people_cover_their_laptops_camera_but/ | {
"a_id": [
"ewfa2pk"
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"I can't speak for everyone, but my phone camera is usually either in my pocket, or laying flat on a surface pointing one camera at the surface and one on at the ceiling, neither of which would generally make exciting pirate video. \n\nAlso my lap... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
g2neqo | The Governor of Louisiana said the antibody test for coronavirus can show results for the common cold coronavirus— can some explain how the test for positive Coronavirus (Covid19) making sure it is not just a common cold? | How are any tests done if sick with Covid19 or if after recovery of Covid19 if the Coronavirus antibody test is not able to be exclusive to an exact match to specifically Covid19?
Governor speaks of antibodies at approximately at 41:00
_URL_0_ | askscience | https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/g2neqo/the_governor_of_louisiana_said_the_antibody_test/ | {
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"Antibodies have a variable region that binds to what is called an epitope. The epitope is on a protein, that in this context is called an antigen. Well, there are a few non-protein antigens, but let's just say protein. \n\nEpitopes are very sho... | [] | [
"https://www.c-span.org/video/?471259-1/louisiana-governor-edwards-coronavirus-news-conference"
] | [
[]
] | |
2f6gew | Rust must be a major concern on seagoing ships. What technologies and techniques are used to prevent damage? | I'd assume that regular painting would make sense, but are there specific kinds of paint for boats? Are ships primarily made out of rust-resistant materials? | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/2f6gew/rust_must_be_a_major_concern_on_seagoing_ships/ | {
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"One strategy is to use a galvanic or sacrificial anode. Simply put, this is a chunk of metal more electronegative than the hull of the ship. When properly affixed, oxidation reactions will prefer the anode to the hull, red... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | |
9a4qrh | How and why did Aramaic become the lingua franca of much of the middle east in antiquity? | & #x200B; | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/9a4qrh/how_and_why_did_aramaic_become_the_lingua_franca/ | {
"a_id": [
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"text": [
"There's always more to be said on the topic, but I wrote about this in [How exactly did Aramaic somehow replace Akkadian and become adopted by much of the Neo-Assyrian Empire?](_URL_0_)"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/8bffpw/how_exactly_did_aramaic_somehow_replace_akkadian/dx7adho/"
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83846h | History Knowledge | hey historians,
how do we gain strong/robust knowledge of history? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/83846h/history_knowledge/ | {
"a_id": [
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"text": [
"You have to read a lot of it, and what you read has to be good! There's no other way! \n\nAs an example: Before you are allowed to start working on your PhD dissertation, grad students in history typically have to do what is known as a General Ex... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
mpyxz | What happens when dogs hear music | Is it just as pleasing to them as it is to us or do they hear it more sensitively because they have better hearing? | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/mpyxz/what_happens_when_dogs_hear_music/ | {
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"text": [
"I guess due to better hearing yould be just as if you would turn up the music some more.\nA quite more interesting idea is:\nDo like dogs the rythem or the musical scale in which most of our western music is produced.\nIn so... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | |
2btdea | what is preventing terrorists from using nuclear weapons? | Seems like it would have happened by now. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2btdea/eli5what_is_preventing_terrorists_from_using/ | {
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"Having access to the right materials, and enough of it to do significant damage. Also it takes money to build the proper facilities to d... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
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] | |
1g38rh | Were there whistleblowers during the Nazi regime? | Specifically as it related to rounding up and incinerating jews. | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1g38rh/were_there_whistleblowers_during_the_nazi_regime/ | {
"a_id": [
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"text": [
"There was the Aktion T4 programme. It was the rounding up of those deemed a drain on the German economy, aka the disabled. They were taken to specialised hospitals and euthanised. The families were then notified of a natural death, such as a b... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
34xq2x | if other primates, such as chimps, evolved alongside humans from a common ancestor, why is their behavior often used as an indicator of our primal past? | Isn't a logical fallacy to assume any of their social habits can explain our social behavior, when their social behavior may have only developed since the split from our common ancestor? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/34xq2x/eli5_if_other_primates_such_as_chimps_evolved/ | {
"a_id": [
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"text": [
"I don't think the assumption is that their behavior maps directly to ours. \n\nI think the idea is that exploring the similarities and differences between our behavior and that of our close relatives can give us insights about how our own social... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
75kzf8 | Does the universe rotate? | askscience | https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/75kzf8/does_the_universe_rotate/ | {
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"text": [
"[Here's a previous AskScience thread on the topic.](_URL_0_)\n\ntl;dr Probably not. If it does, the rate of rotation can't be more than one billionth of a radian per year.",
"As far as we unders... | [] | [] | [
[
"https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/3g3t7g/does_the_observable_universe_have_a_net_angular/"
],
[],
[]
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e2alch | why have we been able to discover invisible atoms? | Not because they are small, but because they have no color.
Say Hydrogen and Oxygen, yes we can see water, but, how did scientists distinguish that there were one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms in it if these elements are invisible to begin with? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/e2alch/eli5_why_have_we_been_able_to_discover_invisible/ | {
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6,
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"text": [
"When you run electricity though water, bubbles of gas form - and the gas that forms on the negative electrode behaves *very* differently from the gas that forms on the positive electrode. So they must ... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[]
] | |
6vw4p3 | How much more visible are stars for astronauts on the ISS? | In comparison with us on the Earth, how many more are visible to them? | askscience | https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/6vw4p3/how_much_more_visible_are_stars_for_astronauts_on/ | {
"a_id": [
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],
"score": [
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],
"text": [
"Our Sun is a typical star. According to NASA, about 48% of solar energy that arrives at the top of the atmosphere makes it to the Earth's surface. A significant proportion of the loss would be the contribution made by infrared, however, since thi... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
1zz56m | do other languages have a "gay accent"? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1zz56m/eli5_do_other_languages_have_a_gay_accent/ | {
"a_id": [
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"text": [
"This isn't really an ELI5 question. This sub is for simple explanations of complex topics- you're really just looking for a yes or no answer.\n\nThe answer is yes.\n\nI studied Japanese for about eight years, and yes, there... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | ||
2r278m | Why do some parts of the human body not repair themselves? | For example why do ligaments in the knee (like the ACL) not repair themselves even though without surgery this would leave a person essentially crippled? | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/2r278m/why_do_some_parts_of_the_human_body_not_repair/ | {
"a_id": [
"cnd0lj2"
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"text": [
"Soft tissue injuries such as torn ligaments tendons and cartilage are difficult to repair because they are made mostly of chains of collagen molecules, they(types of soft tissue) exhibit different properties due to a different crystalline struct... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
1f7o53 | What caused the cultural shift toward anti-female sentiments in the Middle East? | *Apologies if the question has been posed before- I couldn't find it. If this has been covered, simply direct me to the thread and I will delete this one straight away. For some background, I am a 24 year old American who studies mostly power dynamics and culture creation (propaganda) in the DPRK.*
___________________... | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1f7o53/what_caused_the_cultural_shift_toward_antifemale/ | {
"a_id": [
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"text": [
"The young Iranian women in the picture seem to be the exception to the rule. They were rich and highly educated people. Most of the people in Iran and the Middle East weren't that progressive. I think you can compare them t... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_shah_of_iran"
],
[
"http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/18/opinion/iraq-war-women-salbi"
]
] | |
1ynsps | The religious reasons for bog bodies? | Today while visiting some used book shops I was browsing and came across P.V. Glob's book *The Bog People*. I did a flip through the whole thing, and while I believe I'd heard of this practice having been identified in Scotland I had never heard of Tollund Man, and all the other mummies.
But one thing struck me while ... | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1ynsps/the_religious_reasons_for_bog_bodies/ | {
"a_id": [
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"text": [
"You might also be interested in (mine and others) posts in [this older thread](_URL_0_). Note that Globs book is pretty old, and from an era when his kind of speculations were more in fashion than currently. That this book is not a peer-reviewed ... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1lpolj/bog_bodies/"
]
] | |
63cha5 | What happened to the Germans in areas such as Kaliningrad and western Poland? | From what I understand Prussia was pretty much the birthplace of modern Germany, but a large portion of it now lies in other countries (we can thank Stalin for that).
So why is it that a region which used to be so proud is now so... quiet? Did all of the germans in these regions leave during to WW2? Is there still a ... | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/63cha5/what_happened_to_the_germans_in_areas_such_as/ | {
"a_id": [
"dftdfvi",
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"score": [
15,
10
],
"text": [
"Simply put, they were forced out, ethnically cleansed. Millions of ethnic Germans across eastern Europe (that is to say east of modern Germany) were forcibly repatriated to the reconstituted borders of Germany in the immed... | [] | [] | [
[],
[
"http://i.imgur.com/PeSXU28.jpg",
"http://atlanticsentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/1949-German-SPD-poster.jpg",
"https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8571/16224804283_66db65f776_h.jpg"
]
] | |
10z0nm | When people booked passage for things like transatlantic voyages, how did the food situation work? Did people being their own, were daily meals included in ticket price? Did people buy it aboard ship daily? | I was just curious about this, especially how it affected the poorer people aboard ship. I'm assuming it wouldn't be a problem for the more affluent, but how did it affect the poorer folks? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/10z0nm/when_people_booked_passage_for_things_like/ | {
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"text": [
"Generally food was included in the price of the ticket, otherwise you had to perform work to be fed. The First American by HW Brands, talks about how people were expected to help ... | [] | [] | [
[],
[
"http://www.titanic-titanic.com/titanic_dining.shtml",
"http://www.nmni.com/titanic/On-Board/Eating/3rd-Class-Dining.aspx"
],
[
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steerage",
"http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/voices-in-time/steerage-class.php?page=all",
"http://freepages.family.rootsweb.anc... | |
fierw | If the presence of HIV antibodies is the basis for the screening test for HIV, why doesn't the body just produce more antibodies until it overcomes the infection? | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/fierw/if_the_presence_of_hiv_antibodies_is_the_basis/ | {
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"text": [
"If you look at the typical [timecourse](_URL_0_) of an HIV infection, it does actually partially \"overcome\" the infection after the immune response kicks in and destroys a lot o... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hiv-timecourse.png"
],
[],
[],
[]
] | ||
hcag6 | Which is worse? Smoking cigarettes regularly or drinking alcohol regularly? | I am in the middle of a frustrating argument with friends. Half the battle is considering which is worse, a casual smoker or a casual drinker. Then the extreme is taken, a pack-a-day smoker or an alcoholic.
I know that a lot depends on the specific alcohol or cigarettes or an individual's body.
But which is worse? | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/hcag6/which_is_worse_smoking_cigarettes_regularly_or/ | {
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"text": [
"I would say that casual smoking is worse than casual drinking. And extreme drinking is worse than extreme drinking.\n\nA person who drinks occasionally, you really won't see any a... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[
"http://www.tobaccoinaustralia.org.au/chapter-3-health-effects/3-29-morbidity-ill-health-attributable-to-tobacco-"
]
] | |
aqq870 | why do some office buildings have keys for the bathroom? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/aqq870/eli5_why_do_some_office_buildings_have_keys_for/ | {
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"text": [
"Most likely to cut down on just anyone off the street coming in to use, sleep in, do drugs in them, or hide in them until after hours to commit a crime. A lot of office buildings where I live there is no security at the main... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | ||
bfenzg | - what happens when photons hit a molecule? | I know photons are incredibly small and moving very fast, but what happens when it hits a molecule or atom? I know it happens everywhere that’s why we have visible light. But what happens to the molecule? Does anything dramatic change or happen to it? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/bfenzg/eli5_what_happens_when_photons_hit_a_molecule/ | {
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"text": [
"Well, that depends on the exact molecule as well as the wavelength of the photon. Depending on the wavelength it can cause the molecule to stretch, compress,... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[],
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] | |
20wjz4 | Why are "god rays" (light rays coming through clouds) not parallel but seem to come from a point light source much closer than the sun? | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/20wjz4/why_are_god_rays_light_rays_coming_through_clouds/ | {
"a_id": [
"cg7gpoh"
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"score": [
120
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"text": [
"They *are* parallel. Think about what happens when you look at a long set of parallel lines, like a railroad track. [They look like they converge](_URL_3_) in the far-off distance. That's why the rays that you see appear to diverge from a point... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Diagram_of_umbra,_penumbra_%26_antumbra.png",
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crepuscular_rays",
"http://www.atoptics.co.uk/atoptics/anti1.htm",
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perspective_%28graphical%29#One-point_perspective"
]
] | ||
awor83 | Did Plague Doctors Make a Difference? | I'm curious, since medical practices during the time of the black death were spotty at best, did plague doctors actually have any impact on combating it? Did they perhaps make it worse? If plague doctors weren't a thing, would the end result still be the same? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/awor83/did_plague_doctors_make_a_difference/ | {
"a_id": [
"ehoeixw"
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"score": [
312
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"text": [
"First off, what we think of as doctors was really two disparate professions. Barber surgeons performed minor surgeries, and were generally not wealthy. On the other hand there were trained medical professionals from european universities. Germ ... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
cjcl7g | why is it that thinking about things to hard makes them harder to do without thinking? (sleeping, swallowing) | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/cjcl7g/eli5_why_is_it_that_thinking_about_things_to_hard/ | {
"a_id": [
"evcflfn"
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"text": [
"Your brain stores muscle memory in a series of neural connections that fire in a squence and are reinforced every time you do it correctly. \n\nThink of it like a path in the woods. Every time someone uses that path, it gets worn in better and it... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
1ri0sb | When and where did the concept of "girlfriend/boyfriend" (i.e. children still living under their parents deciding who to date on their own) come about? How did it surpass the strong institution of arranged marriages? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1ri0sb/when_and_where_did_the_concept_of/ | {
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"text": [
"You're talking about a number of different things here, which I'll try to break down.\n\n-sex before marriage. This has of course always existed, but the discourse about it has changed. It is true that in many places it us... | [] | [] | [
[],
[
"http://www.amazon.ca/Marriage-History-How-Love-Conquered/dp/014303667X"
]
] | ||
33dgt4 | Are there physical limitations to how large a celestial body can be? | Is there a maximum size? If so, why? | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/33dgt4/are_there_physical_limitations_to_how_large_a/ | {
"a_id": [
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"score": [
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"text": [
"Found this:\n\n\"If you were to start with a gas planet consisting of mainly hydrogen, and keep adding hydrogen, you'd get to about 80 Jupiter masses before its core heat and pressure would start fusing hydrogen and become, by definition, a star... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
2eqhal | if cocaine is worse than weed, why is cocaine a schedule 2 drug and weed is schedule 1? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2eqhal/eli5_if_cocaine_is_worse_than_weed_why_is_cocaine/ | {
"a_id": [
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"text": [
"Schedule 1 drugs have a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use.\n\n_URL_0_\n\nSchedule 2 drugs also have a high potential for abuse, but do have accepted medical use.\n\nMarijuana, accord... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://www.justice.gov/dea/druginfo/ds.shtml"
],
[],
[]
] | ||
7j6n4g | Did the US Government have a contingency plan in place for the off-chance that the atomic bomb exploded on the ground in Hiroshima instead of in the air? Would they still have bombed Nagasaki? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/7j6n4g/did_the_us_government_have_a_contingency_plan_in/ | {
"a_id": [
"dr49ag6"
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"text": [
"There was no contingency plan in place for basically _anything_ with regards to mishaps. Even the operations that did take place were full of snap decisions (the [second bombing run](_URL_0_) is particularly full of such things, because things di... | [] | [] | [
[
"https://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/nagasaki-the-last-bomb"
]
] | ||
9chxq4 | What are good books for learning how to write history? | I'm interested in learning more about history-writing methods before I go on to actually write a history.
Your recommendations? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/9chxq4/what_are_good_books_for_learning_how_to_write/ | {
"a_id": [
"e5bexaq"
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"text": [
"The American Historical Association (AHA) has a guide to writing history [here](_URL_0_). They also have their Presidential Address archives [here](_URL_1_) (during the AHA presidential address at the yearly conference, most presidents speak on h... | [] | [] | [
[
"https://www.historians.org/teaching-and-learning/teaching-resources-for-historians/teaching-and-learning-in-the-digital-age/the-history-of-the-americas/the-conquest-of-mexico/for-students/writing-history-an-introductory-guide-to-how-history-is-produced",
"https://www.historians.org/about-aha-and-membersh... | |
3o1is5 | why does a cars' value depreciate as soon as you drive it off of the lot, once purchased, yet you can test drive a buick right now for 24 hours with no loss in value? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3o1is5/eli5_why_does_a_cars_value_depreciate_as_soon_as/ | {
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"text": [
"The \"as soon as you drive it off the lot\" isn't technically accurate, just an interesting way of thinking of the concept.\n\nWhat really depreciates the value is that, once it's... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[]
] | ||
xgjxs | Have there been any studies regarding how humans are able to keep time? | Some people can keep time better than others. Some can even keep time exceptionally well, over the course of hours or days. At a macro level, we might be able to use environment stimuli to resolve the probable time, but at the micro level, how are humans able to relatively accurately discern that a second, or ten secon... | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/xgjxs/have_there_been_any_studies_regarding_how_humans/ | {
"a_id": [
"c5mfb7g",
"c5m71cx"
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"score": [
3,
4
],
"text": [
"In the brain there is actually a time keeping structure called the suprachiasmatic nuclei; this is what gives animals their circadian rhythm. An important part of the time-keeping system is [melatonin] (_URL_1_) which is re... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9360025",
"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21914478",
"http://igpp.academia.edu/MarcWittmann/Papers/490563/Age_effects_in_perception_of_time",
"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3462338"
],
[
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circadian_oscillator#Mammali... | |
2t3rh5 | Why didn't Ricimer declare himself Emperor? | Ricimer was a Seuvic general who essentially was the de facto ruler of Rome in it's last few decades of existence. During his time, he set up and removed four Emperors in the Western Empire. Why did he never declare himself Emperor, if he was in all but name so? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2t3rh5/why_didnt_ricimer_declare_himself_emperor/ | {
"a_id": [
"cnvxgdr"
],
"score": [
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"text": [
"I'll try and answer until someone more qualified gets here.\n\nPeople wouldn't have it. Ricimer was a German, with no right to the purple. The Romans had proved time and time again that they were alright with a wide variety of people holding the ... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
2v3do3 | why are bills lumped together instead of voted on individually. | I understand the concept of saving time, but this has clearly wasted a lot of time lately. If things must be grouped why can't they be similar topics. Lately its clearly a tactic to get something passed that would never have passed on its own, but in practice now nothing gets passed at all, including good things that p... | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2v3do3/eli5_why_are_bills_lumped_together_instead_of/ | {
"a_id": [
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"score": [
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"text": [
"Because of compromise.\n\nI might not be crazy about the tax cut you are proposing. I don't absolutely hate it, but on its own merit, I'd vote no. At the same time, you feel the exact same away about my education bill.\n\nBut if they are in the... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
356eb6 | Why do white dwarfs take so long to cool? | After a planetary nebula, the white dwarf behind is only a few thousand kilometres in radius and is no longer producing thermal energy from nuclear fusion, so how does it take billions of years for one to cool to a black dwarf? | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/356eb6/why_do_white_dwarfs_take_so_long_to_cool/ | {
"a_id": [
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2,
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"text": [
"It's kind of like the same reason that big animals retain warmth better\nin cold climates than small animals: they have more bulk retaining heat\ncompared to surface needed to radiate heat.\n\nA white d... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun#Core"
],
[],
[]
] | |
oebuw | What is the minimum amount of photons required for the human eye to detect? | Assume you are in a pitch black room, how many photons would need to be present before you (the average human being) could see light? Lets assume the source of the photons is 6 feet away. | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/oebuw/what_is_the_minimum_amount_of_photons_required/ | {
"a_id": [
"c3gjzgp"
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"score": [
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"text": [
"90 photons need to be generated with only 9 reaching the back of the eye. Theoretically it will only take one.\n\nWikipedia has more information\n\n_URL_0_"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absolute_threshold"
]
] | |
byssi4 | What was the payment method in late-19th century Victorian England, specifically for domestic servants? | Title. Did employers use cheques, actual physical currency, or some other form? Did this vary at all between the upper and middle classes?
Somewhat related question if anyone's inclined: how often were domestic servants usually paid? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/byssi4/what_was_the_payment_method_in_late19th_century/ | {
"a_id": [
"ertvngd"
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"text": [
"A very late answer, but I hope it's interesting to you. Your question should probably have been redirected to the Short Answers thread, because it's not one I can give a really in-depth answer to. Servants during this period were paid in cash, or... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
a3r0v3 | The Reichstag fire took place 1 month after Hitler came to power, and allowed him to seize complete control of the German state. Is there any evidence that Hitler was behind the fire? Or was it really just a huge coincidence? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/a3r0v3/the_reichstag_fire_took_place_1_month_after/ | {
"a_id": [
"eb8l34z"
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"score": [
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],
"text": [
"Not to discourage further discussion, but this came up recently with an answer from u/kieslowskifan:\n\n* [Did Hitler start the Reichstag fire?](_URL_0_)"
]
} | [] | [] | [
[
"https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/9skvi4/did_hitler_start_the_reichstag_fire/e8qypr8/"
]
] | ||
297v0h | How much of the pro-biotic cultures in things like yogurt and kefir actually make it to your gut and help out? | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/297v0h/how_much_of_the_probiotic_cultures_in_things_like/ | {
"a_id": [
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3,
12,
3
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"text": [
"In a related application, infant formula, a significant amount reaches the gut and clinical trials document the improved digestive results claimed. Typically this is more like less gas, bloating, diarr... | [] | [] | [
[],
[
"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21193902"
],
[]
] | ||
3pobd3 | why there was such an expansion in the religious right in early 1980s politics | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3pobd3/eli5why_there_was_such_an_expansion_in_the/ | {
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"text": [
"In the 1970's Christian leaders like Jerry Falwell began urging Christians to become politically active and to support social conservatism in their voting. As a response to this, the 1980's Republican party altered their platform to capture these... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
75w44z | how do small animals not get hurt by rain drops? | For humans which are large the rain drops must be nothing other than slightly annoying, maybe slightly painful on a very rainy day.
But how do small animals not get hurt by water drops that are fairly large hitting them? it would be akin to us being pelted with hail or something?
I get that they could hide it out but... | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/75w44z/eli5how_do_small_animals_not_get_hurt_by_rain/ | {
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"do9psr3",
"d... | [] | [] | [
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"https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/39zo4v/comment/cs83p61"
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[],
[],
[
"https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=f7KSfjv4Oq0"
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"https://youtu.be/f7KSfjv4Oq0"
],
[],
[
"http://wxguys.ssec.wisc.edu/2013/09/10/how-fast-do-raindr... | |
19ppac | can someone explain the relationship between canada and england? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/19ppac/can_someone_explain_the_relationship_between/ | {
"a_id": [
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"text": [
"You can find most of your answers on Wikipedia:\n\n_URL_0_\n\nBasically the Queen is the official head of state but has zero authority in reality. As a Canadian I can say that she is not generally thought of at all unless ... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada#Government_and_politics"
],
[]
] | ||
49oi21 | Besides cotton what was grown on Southern Plantations? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/49oi21/besides_cotton_what_was_grown_on_southern/ | {
"a_id": [
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5,
8
],
"text": [
"Before technological advances (the cotton gin) allowed the mass production of long-staple cotton, the only cotton that could be grown at a commercial scale in the South was short-staple cotton, which only grew in sandy soils... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | ||
2qlwi9 | How do monarchs issue new titles when there are no more titles? | The title of the question is bad so let me expand below.
So Prince Charles of the United Kingdom is the Duke of Cornwall, Andrew is the Duke of York, and so on and so forth.
When Charles dies his title of Duke of Cornwall will pass to William but Andrew's title will pass to his daughter (I think) or some other heir.
... | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2qlwi9/how_do_monarchs_issue_new_titles_when_there_are/ | {
"a_id": [
"cn7b84l"
],
"score": [
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],
"text": [
"There are titles which are traditionally associated with the royal family but titles are not in finite supply. The monarch can easily issue letters patent for any new title they wish at any time as the monarch acts as the fount of honour.\n\nThe... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
3mehi1 | why are so many non-catholics going crazy over pope francis when john paul ii was literally a saint? | Or is this something mainly limited to Reddit? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3mehi1/eli5_why_are_so_many_noncatholics_going_crazy/ | {
"a_id": [
"cvebs4u",
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"score": [
2,
2,
2
],
"text": [
"Pope Francis speaks more to liberals than he does to actual Catholics, and Reddit is a pretty liberal place. John Paul and Benedict probably wouldn't have gotten nearly as much positive attention, and y... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[]
] | |
1v2xbf | If the earth is absorbing energy from the sun and converting it to mass, does this mean the earth is getting bigger or is there some other factors keeping it in balance? | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1v2xbf/if_the_earth_is_absorbing_energy_from_the_sun_and/ | {
"a_id": [
"ceo8fts",
"ceo9518"
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"score": [
2,
3
],
"text": [
"The earth is absorbing energy and storing the energy in chemical bonds. Photosynthesis does not convert energy to mass, but uses basic atoms as building blocks and uses sunlight to bond them in to higher energy molecules.",
... | [] | [] | [
[],
[
"http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16787636"
]
] | ||
s4v6k | Are there any correlations between levels of intelligence and sleep? | Hey AskScience,
I have always wondered this. I have worked in I.T. for about 2.5 years now and I would say that I have come to know a lot of highly intelligent people (and I would like to think that I'm pretty smart too), and each one of these people tells me about how they have a very hard time trying to sleep, inclu... | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/s4v6k/are_there_any_correlations_between_levels_of/ | {
"a_id": [
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"c4b9u4g"
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"score": [
7,
3
],
"text": [
"I remembered reading about this, something to the effect that more intelligent individuals are more likely to embrace habits contrary to their evolutionary history, and hence are more likely to sleep less.\n\nSure enough: \n... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/westview/smart-people-sleep-late-82486792.html",
"http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20604614",
"http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200911/intelligence-the-evolution-night-owls"
],
[
"http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/news/20030620/nighttime-co... | |
90vm2r | if ram (in typical computers) is memory used for temporary storage and is the fastest form of processor-storage transfer, what is video ram for? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/90vm2r/eli5_if_ram_in_typical_computers_is_memory_used/ | {
"a_id": [
"e2thdlo",
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"score": [
7,
4
],
"text": [
"Same thing but for the graphics processor instead of the normal one. There are two primary processors in a computer, the GPU and the CPU. One is for graphics and one is for data, speaking simply. ",
"Your assumption is i... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | ||
148w9o | what is the point of the house of representatives? | We have the executive branch, the supreme court, and the senate, what is the point of the house? Do they actually matter? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/148w9o/eli5_what_is_the_point_of_the_house_of/ | {
"a_id": [
"c7awtfm",
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"score": [
7,
2
],
"text": [
"We have 3 branches so that they each have separate responsibilities. It was designed that way to spread out power in the government, so no one group of people or person would have too much power.\n\nThe legislative branch co... | [] | [] | [
[],
[
"http://emotibot.net/pix/6129.jpeg"
]
] | |
1iwtoe | [Astronomy] Why don't we believe the traits of aliens to be similar to dinosaurs? | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1iwtoe/astronomy_why_dont_we_believe_the_traits_of/ | {
"a_id": [
"cb8t9pq",
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"score": [
6,
6
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"text": [
"I mean, they MIGHT. Sure. It obviously has happened before, so it could happen again. There's no reason to think other morphologies and physiologies aren't possible, though. Maybe they're similar to trilobytes, or cephalopod... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | ||
2jk979 | how does reddit efficiently store 9 years worth of posts and comments? | The total number of posts and comments across all the subreddits on Reddit during the time of its existence must be ridiculously large at this point. I know that they don't allow new comments on posts after a certain amount of time. But how do they store so much stuff so it is all still searchable? I am assuming it is ... | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2jk979/eli5_how_does_reddit_efficiently_store_9_years/ | {
"a_id": [
"clci20a",
"clcjorx",
"clcqtp7"
],
"score": [
64,
11,
3
],
"text": [
"Because it's all text, it gets stored quite easily, not to mention it can be compressed.\n\nFor example, let's say that you get 10 replies to your post and they're all about as large as what I'm putti... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[]
] | |
1m5ekz | why do college campuses hate wireless routers? | I live in a dorm on campus and apparently it's pretty common for college campuses to HATE wireless routers in the room. The vernacular reason is "it steals other people's internet" but that doesn't really make sense to me because I've been in places with lots of Wi-Fi networks with no problem. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1m5ekz/eli5_why_do_college_campuses_hate_wireless_routers/ | {
"a_id": [
"cc5xrsp"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"Because they can't control who connects to your wireless router."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
5lp8q5 | what is the purpose of hands free soap dispensers? | To prevent germs? Every touch to a soap dispense is followed by a mass genocide of germs on your hands | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/5lp8q5/eli5_what_is_the_purpose_of_hands_free_soap/ | {
"a_id": [
"dbxgfen",
"dbxozg0"
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"score": [
3,
2
],
"text": [
"If the person before you had something really nasty on their hands, like an antibiotic resistance bacteria or something, you wouldn't want that to get on your hands. Soap does a great job of getting crud off your hands, but ... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | |
ujqd2 | communism, socialism, and why i hear people use "socialist" as an insult | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/ujqd2/eli5_communism_socialism_and_why_i_hear_people/ | {
"a_id": [
"c4vz78i",
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"c4w2vpt",
"c4w34nr"
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"score": [
3,
3,
17,
62,
2
],
"text": [
"During the cold war the Soviet Union was our enemy, and they were a Marxist government. There is a difference between the two, but basically it boils down ... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] | ||
97nklg | why can we use our touch screen smartphones only with our fingers? why doesn’t it work if we use a pencil for example? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/97nklg/eli5_why_can_we_use_our_touch_screen_smartphones/ | {
"a_id": [
"e49jxej",
"e49jxmr",
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"score": [
2,
9,
7
],
"text": [
"The screen responds to the electrical capacitance of your fingers. Therefore things that are not electrically conductive don't trigger it.",
"Modern touch screens are capacitive. They detect \"touch... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[]
] | ||
37mf9q | Why are most amino acids found in the L configuration and most sugars in the D? | My biochem prof briefly stated that they fit together well because they're opposite configurations, but said she didn't have time to get into it because it's only a 5 week course instead of 17.
Is there a reason that it's this way and not flipped so that AAs are in D and carbs in L? Is there something fundamentally ... | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/37mf9q/why_are_most_amino_acids_found_in_the_l/ | {
"a_id": [
"cro26x2"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"This is a huge unresolved question (sorry, couldn't resist a little chirality humor there). It has major implications for origin-of-life studies, but despite a great deal of research over the decades, there's no definitive answer. Various mechani... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
jxyuu | What chemical reaction goes on to induce labor? | To clarify: does the female brain send a signal to the placenta and cause the embryonic sac to break, that's the only conclusion i can come to; google results me with no answers. | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/jxyuu/what_chemical_reaction_goes_on_to_induce_labor/ | {
"a_id": [
"c2g0jay",
"c2g0jay"
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"score": [
2,
2
],
"text": [
"I found [this article](_URL_0_) on cervical ripening which includes a section on the [Role of Various Hormones in the Process of Cervical Ripening](_URL_0_#aw2aab6b5)\n\n\n",
"I found [this article](_URL_0_) on cervical ... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/263311-overview",
"http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/263311-overview#aw2aab6b5"
],
[
"http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/263311-overview",
"http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/263311-overview#aw2aab6b5"
]
] | |
4td66a | how do blisters form? and what is the purpose of the liquid inside of the blister? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4td66a/eli5_how_do_blisters_form_and_what_is_the_purpose/ | {
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"https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004L6LKR6/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468859995&sr=8-1&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=dual+layer+wrightsock&dpPl=1&dpID=41OzIPKxmYL&ref=plSrch"
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[]
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70cb3b | Do we know anybody who lived long enough to see the fall of Tsarist Russia AND the Soviet Union? | There are for example, a number of men who fought the American Revolution and also saw the onset of the Civil War. Do we know of any Russians who lived through all of those incredible transitions? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/70cb3b/do_we_know_anybody_who_lived_long_enough_to_see/ | {
"a_id": [
"dn2llck",
"dn2xzny"
],
"score": [
15,
3
],
"text": [
"Tsarist Russia fell in 1917, and the Soviet Union collapsed in 1989. That encompasses 72 years. It is plausible that many individuals witnessed both events. As one example, consider the Soviet physicist Yulii Khariton, ofte... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | |
2308te | pushing a car to start it? | I recall as a kid pushing the family car to get it started. Never knew why, and don't remember if it was standard or automatic. What problem does the pushing solve? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2308te/eli5_pushing_a_car_to_start_it/ | {
"a_id": [
"cgs3sk7",
"cgs6tyf",
"cgs92fv"
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"score": [
6,
2,
3
],
"text": [
"If the car is in gear and you're pushing it, then the rotation of the wheels will rotate the drive shaft (transmission, which then rotates the piston shaft (engine) (none of that is accurate terminology... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[]
] | |
3dd87y | what is the difficulty with anything travelling faster than the speed of light? | I understand that the speed of light in a vacuum is 299792458 m/s, also referred to as "c" and that it is pretty damn fast. it's not the fastest thing imaginable though, that would be infinite. Why does nothing travel faster than this? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3dd87y/eli5what_is_the_difficulty_with_anything/ | {
"a_id": [
"ct407js"
],
"score": [
4
],
"text": [
"Because you can't, its a fundamental law of physics. The closer you get to c the more energy you have to put in, eg. it takes 1 unit of energy to get to 1/2 speed of light, another unit gets you to 3/4, another one to 7/8, and so on. I.e. you hal... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
1kgy88 | how scientists can freeze/store light for 60 seconds with electromagnetically induced transparency. | I read [this](_URL_0_) article, but I still don't totally understand. | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1kgy88/eli5_how_scientists_can_freezestore_light_for_60/ | {
"a_id": [
"cbov28q"
],
"score": [
6
],
"text": [
"In order to understand EIT, it is first important to understand the interaction between light and matter. \n\nAtoms have certain energy levels where electrons (usually we just consider the outer-most) can reside. By tuning a laser to the appropri... | [] | [
"http://physics.aps.org/articles/v6/80"
] | [
[
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einstein_coefficients"
]
] | |
1o64mk | How historically accurate is "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller? | I've been reading "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller in school. I know that is an allegory of the HUAC trials looking for communists. But is it also historically accurate to the Salem witch trials in Massachusetts in the last 17th century? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1o64mk/how_historically_accurate_is_the_crucible_by/ | {
"a_id": [
"ccpdrod"
],
"score": [
6
],
"text": [
"I'm not sure what you're referring to by \"historically accurate\", so I'll try to address a few topics and see if any of them are what you're looking for.\n\n#IS THE PLOT ITSELF NON-FICTION OR HISTORICAL FICTION?\nYes. The people in the storylin... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/sal_bhat.htm",
"http://historyofmassachusetts.org/betty-parris-first-afflicted-girl-of-the-salem-witch-trials/",
"http://womenshistory.about.com/od/salempeople/a/Abigail-Williams.htm",
"http://www.salemwitchmuseum.com/blog/index.php/2012/01/what... | |
93dobz | What’s the historical consensus on the invention of the bow and arrow? | It’s a pretty complex tool. Was it invented once and migrated throughout the world, or multiple times in multiple places (esp. the Western Hemisphere which had bow tech before the arrival of [sometimes also bow-wielding] Europeans)? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/93dobz/whats_the_historical_consensus_on_the_invention/ | {
"a_id": [
"e3djdvk"
],
"score": [
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],
"text": [
"The short answer is that we don't know. The invention of the bow is prehistoric, so we're dependent on archaeology and rock art. We can reliably say that the bow was already invented by 12,000 years ago (there are two European finds of bows datin... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://anthropology.ua.edu/reprints/22.pdf",
"https://books.google.com/books?id=yglkwD7pKV8C&pg=PA35&lpg=PA35"
]
] | |
2nfcjb | how, if there's nothing to push against in space, do the iss's thrusters work? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2nfcjb/eli5_how_if_theres_nothing_to_push_against_in/ | {
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2,
2,
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"text": [
"They are pushing against the thing they are attached too - the ISS.",
"I'm not sure if [this] (_URL_0_) will help, but I was also curious.",
"It's Newton's Third Law: \"fo... | [] | [] | [
[],
[
"http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1846/how-do-rockets-work-in-the-vacuum-of-space"
],
[],
[]
] | ||
dqmbcj | what determines the storage a usb or hdd etc. can hold ? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/dqmbcj/eli5_what_determines_the_storage_a_usb_or_hdd_etc/ | {
"a_id": [
"f670kmu"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"A typical old school HDD used a metal platter where an electric pen of sorts could write 1s and 0s on it using magnets.\n\nA USB or any SSD HDD instead uses transistors, or tiny switches, to record the 1s and 0s.\n\nIn either case, there's a phys... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
3h9p6y | how do tv shows 'play'? | When I'm watching TV, I'm obviously watching a pre-determined series of programs, but what is the process of getting them onto the television?
Does the channel transmit a 'playlist' every day, or every week, or does someone in a studio somewhere hit the play button when the ads finish?
I know that programs are sometime... | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3h9p6y/eli5_how_do_tv_shows_play/ | {
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"cu5khje",
"cu5l3qg",
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"score": [
35,
2,
3,
2
],
"text": [
"Somewhere there is a big room called an MCR or Master Control Room (a bit like the place where Homer works in the nuclear plant) in which people control all that stuff. They have ... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[]
] | |
a4tfp5 | Why did Czechoslovakia have ground troops in the Chaco war? What were they doing in Paraguay in the 1930’s?!? | Edit: Military advisors not troops, sorry for the inaccurately asked question y’all!
Edit 2: The only knowledge I had of this event prior was a extremely brief conversation with my poli sci professor and the semi-lacking wikipedia article | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/a4tfp5/why_did_czechoslovakia_have_ground_troops_in_the/ | {
"a_id": [
"ebhv04c"
],
"score": [
14
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"text": [
"If you are thinking ground troops as in expeditionary forces - think the International Brigades or the Condor Division - there weren't. \n\nWhat there was, was a military advisory mission, composed of five Czech officers, sent to provide trainin... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
2fl096 | Phlegm. Spit or swallow? | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/2fl096/phlegm_spit_or_swallow/ | {
"a_id": [
"ckab7sm"
],
"score": [
16
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"text": [
"Pouring it into the acid bath in your stomach is pretty safe. Only specialized pathogens can avoid that. If anything it might give your adaptive immune system a little bit more to work with (realistically it probably won't matter)."
]
} | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
4todiv | why does something like water require a nutritional label, but fruit does not? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4todiv/eli5_why_does_something_like_water_require_a/ | {
"a_id": [
"d5iwztt",
"d5j47fu"
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"score": [
2,
2
],
"text": [
"Different regulations for packaged food vs whole, unprepared food.\n\nA can of fruit salad has nutritional information, a whole raw fruit/vegetable would not.",
"A: Labeling fruit would be nigh impossible. Each fruit has... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | ||
eucc6p | The “Schlieffen Plan” couldn’t have been the *only* plan the German general staff had on the books for a Russo/French War; What other plans did the Easterners & Westerners argue over? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/eucc6p/the_schlieffen_plan_couldnt_have_been_the_only/ | {
"a_id": [
"ffo83xd"
],
"score": [
13
],
"text": [
"You are correct that the German General Staff considered multiple war plans. Most historians today will argue that there was no singular \"Schlieffen Plan\". Rather, it is more appropriate to speak of a \"Schlieffen concept\", that envisioned de... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
2rpgii | have we scientifically explained "imagination" and how we lose it? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2rpgii/eli5have_we_scientifically_explained_imagination/ | {
"a_id": [
"cni272x"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"There's a couple of ways of looking at imagination, and hence ways to answer the question.\n\nThe first way is to consider imagination is as being able to visualize or intentionally perceive things that aren't there or do not exist. In this way ... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
dzjsmn | Fencing can be traced back to 15th century Spain. But what's the history of competitive swordplay before then? Was there an equivalent of fencing in ancient Rome? | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/dzjsmn/fencing_can_be_traced_back_to_15th_century_spain/ | {
"a_id": [
"f88ocjb",
"f88wq8l"
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"score": [
41,
8
],
"text": [
"There is a continuous tradition of sporting swordplay going back to the ancient world. The role of Spain in this history is probably misunderstood--Spain is often cited as the origin of the rapier, which strongly informed t... | [] | [] | [
[
"https://ejmas.com/jcs/2007jcs/jcsart_riddle_0807.html",
"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFqh4IKSA64"
],
[
"https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319450620_The_Fechtschulen_Historical_Context",
"https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319450620\\_The\\_Fechtschulen\\_Historical\\_Context"... | ||
4x7nf9 | space - instead of traveling to other planets why can't we just stop and wait? | The Earth rotates around the Sun and the Sun is moving through the galaxy. The Galaxy is spinning around the galactic center, and the entire galaxy is moving through space. The speeds are "astronomical". Why can't we leave earth and stop moving and wait for the next system of planets to travel to us? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4x7nf9/eli5_space_instead_of_traveling_to_other_planets/ | {
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"score": [
2,
8,
2,
2,
2,
2
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"text": [
"Speed is entirely relative and depends on your frame of reference. Energy wise, it doesn't matter if you want to reach a certain speed o... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[]
] | |
6t45c2 | what makes my brain go "i don't know how to do this therefore i don't want to do it"? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/6t45c2/eli5_what_makes_my_brain_go_i_dont_know_how_to_do/ | {
"a_id": [
"dlhrrfl",
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"score": [
8,
26,
2
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"text": [
"Noob here but I'm 99% sure it's the same part of your brain that is responsible for fear.\n\nWe fear the unknown because of it's inherant risk. Therefore lack of experience can be enough to scare us aw... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[]
] | ||
nz2j8 | What is the ghosting i feel after a day on roller coasters? | today, i visited a theme park, and spent a good chunk of my time upside down, spinning, and falling. Every time i do this, that night, tonight included, i feel the exact same G-forces applied to me. pressure to my head, then pressure to my rear and feet. it washes.
this "ghosting" starts as soon as i settle down... | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/nz2j8/what_is_the_ghosting_i_feel_after_a_day_on_roller/ | {
"a_id": [
"c3d3cxd",
"c3d7u0v"
],
"score": [
2,
2
],
"text": [
"Inner ear makes sense, you have small stones that sway when your head moves.\n\nThe other is that all the swirling has created some current in your cerebrospinal fluid. maybe more or less of it gets reabsorbed when you jost... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | |
6ojj08 | Vichy France is (in)famous for collaborating with the Nazi regime. Was there any way that they could have collaborated less with the German government? | Basically trying to ask what autonomy, if any, they had in decision- and policy-making. | AskHistorians | https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/6ojj08/vichy_france_is_infamous_for_collaborating_with/ | {
"a_id": [
"dkhtzz7"
],
"score": [
5
],
"text": [
"Reposting my previous answer because the original thread was removed by the user.\n\nGreat question. It is a bit broad in appeal, so we have to maybe break it down into several smaller questions. It is of course going into alternate history (whic... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
3ceo80 | what's all this talk about "september 2015" and how something bad (i.e. doomsday, an economical crash) is going to happen? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3ceo80/eli5_whats_all_this_talk_about_september_2015_and/ | {
"a_id": [
"csutdp0",
"csuu44s",
"csuv30y",
"csuzin3"
],
"score": [
4,
25,
4,
3
],
"text": [
"To be honest, I'm not sure where some of these people get their theories from. As it was with the 'Mayan Calendar' prediction, they speculated that the world would end because th... | [] | [] | [
[
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dates_predicted_for_apocalyptic_events"
],
[],
[
"http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturepicturegalleries/4220575/Blackjack.html"
],
[]
] | ||
i54qx | If humans have been burying their dead for a long time, and there have been 100 billion people believed to have existed - Why so hard to find graves of ancient people? | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/i54qx/if_humans_have_been_burying_their_dead_for_a_long/ | {
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"score": [
51,
10,
28,
6,
7,
26,
2,
3,
4,
2
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"text": [
"Well, tissue decomposes.\n\nThere must be a ... | [] | [] | [
[
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bog_body",
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embalming"
],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[],
[
"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Rift_Valley"
]
] | ||
7e3c3f | how can we breathe in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide almost immediately after? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/7e3c3f/eli5_how_can_we_breathe_in_oxygen_and_exhale/ | {
"a_id": [
"dq24pm9",
"dq24rfy",
"dq24y8o"
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"score": [
14,
3,
6
],
"text": [
"Like a train arriving dude... all the people get off and different people get on for the trip back. \nThe other folk will get a later train home. ",
"You are not breathing in or exhaling pure oxyg... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[]
] | ||
41hsnp | how do rockets use fuel so efficiently? | Thinking about the Falcon stuff, they put a rocket in space using a shit load of fuel, then still had enough to make a landing... And enough to make it explode from tipping over.
How is rocket fuel used so effectively? Does it burn slowly? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/41hsnp/eli5_how_do_rockets_use_fuel_so_efficiently/ | {
"a_id": [
"cz2hx2u"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"It's actually burning the opposite of slowly.\n\nThe Falcon 9 first stage is 135 feet high and 12 feet wide. Almost all of that is propellant (fuel and oxidizer). That's over 114,000 gallons.\n\nAnd it burns almost all of that in about 3 minutes.... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
3ajfcw | What are the most recent trends or pressing questions being asked in the area of Holocaust studies? | Hello! A few years back I took a class on the Shoah. At the time, the class seemed to only really get up to the late 80's/early 90's in terms of the areas that Shoah studies were exploring. My basic summary of the main questions being asked were:
* Is the Shoah most useful when viewed from the perspective of what it m... | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/3ajfcw/what_are_the_most_recent_trends_or_pressing/ | {
"a_id": [
"csdpmwa"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"Since the 80s and 90s, a lot of questions have come up about memory, and about who can \"tell the story\" of the Holocaust. This is primarily because the 80s and 90s were the time that many witness accounts were surfacing, since many of the survi... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
2zi8gw | If you burn radioactive paper does it change the radioactivity? | Well... I think my title says it all. Thanks. | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/2zi8gw/if_you_burn_radioactive_paper_does_it_change_the/ | {
"a_id": [
"cpk3hcu"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"Not typically. Radioactivity is usually a much more a property of just the nuclei of the atoms in the material, so is not substantially effected by chemistry like burning, which is the effect from the electrons orbiting the atom.\n\nThere is, ho... | [] | [] | [
[
"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron_capture"
]
] | |
ta6wm | What are the origins of the human (or Western, perhaps?) infatuation with grass lawns? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/ta6wm/what_are_the_origins_of_the_human_or_western/ | {
"a_id": [
"c4kuj56",
"c4kv7o5",
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"c4kwo1c",
"c4kxcyv",
"c4l6t3x"
],
"score": [
7,
13,
34,
11,
9,
2
],
"text": [
"Well, a well trimmed lawn became sort of a status symbol prior to the invention of the lawn mower because it required a small army of... | [] | [] | [
[],
[
"http://www.american-lawns.com/history/history_lawn.html",
"http://www.organiclawncare101.com/history.html"
],
[],
[],
[
"http://www.amazon.com/At-Home-Short-History-Private/dp/0767919386"
],
[]
] | ||
12qdto | musical instruments - why are some in concert pitch and others in f, eb etc | Even took music theory and sight singing in college and never understood why when I played a C on the flute, the clarinets played a Bb. Why are they not ALL in C? And if you play an instrument that is not in C - does it make guessing pitches hard? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/12qdto/eli5_musical_instruments_why_are_some_in_concert/ | {
"a_id": [
"c6xcpzi"
],
"score": [
3
],
"text": [
"Way back in the day, wind instruments could only be built to play in tune in a couple of keys. It had to do with how the tuning system at the time worked for woodwinds, as well as the complexity of adding keys, and the lack of valves for brass i... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
csfczz | how does earth spin so fast but we don't notice ? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/csfczz/eli5_how_does_earth_spin_so_fast_but_we_dont/ | {
"a_id": [
"exee2bl",
"exee58i",
"exeeemu"
],
"score": [
8,
2,
4
],
"text": [
"Because we’re attached to it and moving at the same speed. Like how you can walk around on an airplane and not notice that it’s moving really quite fast.",
"Because it is moving at a “constant” spee... | [] | [] | [
[],
[],
[]
] | ||
2i07vs | what would happen if you never swallowed again? | Let's say hypothetically you receive your nutrition intravenously and you spit your saliva out instead of swallowing it. What would the effects on your body be? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2i07vs/eli5_what_would_happen_if_you_never_swallowed/ | {
"a_id": [
"ckybior"
],
"score": [
2
],
"text": [
"Well, this works out for people in comas (besides deterioration of their body from disuse). Not sure if you can take in enough calories to support exercise from an IV though. But if you could, then the only other thing might be constant hunger, e... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
1oxqoe | what is "hubbles law" and how does it effect our universe? | explainlikeimfive | http://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/1oxqoe/eli5_what_is_hubbles_law_and_how_does_it_effect/ | {
"a_id": [
"ccwpuhk",
"ccwq7xs"
],
"score": [
2,
2
],
"text": [
"On land, the Doppler effect affects sounds, for example, an ambulance siren; as the ambulance approaches, it sounds like the pitch is getting higher. This is because the ambulance, as it moves closer, is catching up with its... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] | ||
55wc4h | how are withdrawals triggered from using a small amount of a substance even though the person is no longer using the substance? | I'm thinking of heroin (based on TV) and benzo withdrawals, but alcohol or others may have the same effect.
My friend used to be addicted to Xanax. Even though he hasn't been using it for a year, drinking alcohol or certain sleeping medicines (things that mess with his GABA receptors?) trigger his withdrawal symptoms.... | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/55wc4h/eli5_how_are_withdrawals_triggered_from_using_a/ | {
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"It takes something like 70 days for most addictions to lose their physical symptoms, but the psychological symptoms can last a lifetime. It's these psychological symptoms that trigger withdrawal symptoms. \nAs an example, I've been sober (heroin)... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | |
1xhzsb | What happened to the massive Christian population in North Africa after the Islamic conquests? | AskHistorians | http://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/1xhzsb/what_happened_to_the_massive_christian_population/ | {
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"This subject is actually filled with question marks, and is really only recently being examined critically.\n\nThe original thinking about what happened in North Africa was, as talked about by Gibbon:\n\n*\"The Northern coast of Africa is the onl... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
dxizj4 | what causes us to "feel" tension or stress in a room? | explainlikeimfive | https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/dxizj4/eli5_what_causes_us_to_feel_tension_or_stress_in/ | {
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"There have been estimates that up to 93% of communication is nonverbal. We convey most to our conversations with things like body language and vocal tone. So you walk into a room, you don't need someone to tell you \"we're all uncomfortable and a... | [] | [] | [
[]
] | ||
152we6 | A light can shine through the pages of a book and even our own hand. Can a strong enough light shine though a sheet of metal or even a concrete wall? | askscience | http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/152we6/a_light_can_shine_through_the_pages_of_a_book_and/ | {
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"Metal has a skin depth that increases with frequency, where the power drops off exponentially as the light travels through the metal. If you are able to generate light of frequency high enough or metal thin enough such t... | [] | [] | [
[],
[]
] |
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